Avoid Social Media #Fails

Feeling overwhelmed by Top 10 lists promising that with the latest social media tricks, you’ll miraculously have a crowd of followers with nothing but warm and fuzzy feelings for your brand? You’re not alone. And, even with all of the words of wisdom, too many campaigns still result in virtual catastrophes. Embarrassing examples from fast food chains and retail stores to insurance companies and nonprofits make it clear that social media can either be your brand’s best friend or worst enemy.

That’s why Social Communication Strategist Katie McDermott recently participated on a panel with other local experts to share with Des Moines Downtown Chamber of Commerce members how NOT to do social media marketing. The Social Media #Fail luncheon was energetic and interactive, addressing questions from business owners and marketing personnel who are trying to stay out of the social media snafus spotlight.

Along with other insight and advice shared from the panel, Katie offered a few rules of thumb:

Be proactive — Have an efficient approval process in place. Start with identifying a small team responsible for catching mistakes and thinking critically about potentially controversial information. Keep it lean to allow for quick decisions and turnarounds, especially for real-time sharing. A large or convoluted team can kill timely content and responses.

Be personal — Make it a priority to give personalized responses on both positive and negative comments. Building a good rapport with your followers before a negative situation arises can go a long way when recovering from a mistake or pushback on a campaign. Especially in times of crisis, it’s best to show your human nature, instead of copy and pasting a robotic “we’re working on it” statement.

Be willing to be wrong — If a campaign receives well-grounded backlash, it’s okay to regroup and admit that you’ve missed the mark. Be transparent about your action plan; most followers will respect you for owning up and rectifying the situation.

The most important thing to remember when pushing out social media content is to make sure your efforts line up with the rest of your tried and true marketing strategies. The Trilix Public Relations team is here to help you build sound strategy and messaging, keeping your brand’s social media presence in good favor with your followers.